PLATTSBURGH — In an effort to address the growing need for legal professionals in rural regions, a new internship initiative is launching this summer across the North Country, placing four law students in Clinton and St. Lawrence counties over a six-week period.
An application was sent out to law schools across New York state and the interns were picked amongst a pool of applicants.
Chosen students, in pairs, will spend three weeks in each county, then swap. They will get the chance to network with local legal professionals and experience the offerings the region provides. While in Clinton County, the students will be interning at Stafford Owens Law Firm.
District Attorney Andrew J. Wylie explained the goal of the program.
“We are trying to encourage law students to practice in rural areas,” Wylie said. “We need more lawyers for prosecutors and public defender offices.”
Rural areas such as Clinton and St. Lawrence counties have faced a shortage of legal professionals, with many attorneys nearing retirement and fewer replacements stepping in. Organizers hope early exposure and mentorship will help reverse that trend.
Presiding Justice of the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division Third Judicial Department, Elizabeth A. Garry said the easiest way to get students interested in the area is to invite them.
“I made the request to invite these students to do fun things with you and really show them what it is that makes this home a place you love, because that’s the key to this,” Garry said on May 21 at a dinner discussion on the program. “Really inviting people in and sharing with them that this is a great place and here’s why.”
The four students participating in the program attend school as close as Albany Law School all the way to Florida, Garry further emphasizing that you just need to invite these students to get them interested in practicing in the area.
The program will run from June 2 until July 11.
“Hopefully the students will talk about the program and try to get more lawyers interested in the North Country,” Garry said.